Epistemological Basis Research Articles

Phenomenological subjectivity and consciousness – groundwork for an eco-phenomenology

The present research aim to analyze the foundations of Husserl’s phenomenology and its legacy, employing its attributes in the creation of an eco-phenomenology toolset. The trend in question focuses on the notable revision of the subject-object relationship, introduced by Husserlian thought. From his repositioning of the reflective subject under the transcendental ego, Husserl authorizes the reconstitution of the cognitive and epistemological bases of thought on a set of entitative qualities, which equates the aware observer to the observed entitative universe, according to the similarity of existential conditions. Thus, the reflective character that sediments human experience is henceforth considered a natural phenomenon, contiguous to other transformations and determinations of meaning conferred by non-human beings—biotic and abiotic, demanding a re-conception of their phenomenological roles as semiotic agents (and, therefore, agents of environmental transformation). The perspective changes translated here provide us with an opportunity to approach and refine the proposal for an assembly (parliament) of non-humans presented in Latour’s work, thereby insinuating that the establishment of an ecocentric paradigm will only be possible under such philosophical conditions. Based on the massive version of this paradigm, the purpose is to review the scientific and political fundamentals for organizing the political scenario in favor of so-called ecological democracies.

Cybertheology from a Theoretical Approach: Conceptual Considerations and Proposals

Apps, Artificial Intelligence (AI), internet, Internet of Things (IoT), metaverses, social networks, and virtual assistants are changing our faith, ecclesial communities, pastoral actions, religious experiences, and theology, especially accelerated by the corona-virus pandemic. Although the emergence of a new discipline that studies the mediation of faith in digital technologies and its pastoral impacts is widely accepted, a systematized reflection on it is still lacking. However, in recent years, cybertheology approach is emerging in the Catholic academic field to explain all these phenomena; and for this reason, researchers are developing its object of study as well as concepts or methodologies of this new subject. In this article, cybernetics science is proposed as a significant epistemological basis for cybertheology because it facilitates dialogue with other disciplines for building conceptual knowledge. In particular, it is relevant in two main issues: first, cybernetics has biblical, ecclesial, communicational, epistemological, philosophi-cal, and scientifical bases. Second, cybernetics is a well-funded inter-transdisciplinary science. With both of these topics, it is possible to study the complex relationships between God, believers, communication, and technologies. In this paper, the concept of the noosphere proposed by Teilhard de Chardin is appropriated for modeling all these complexities in a critical, ethical, and prophetic standpoint.

Tosaka Jun: Problems of Space and Time in the Philosophy of Everydayness

The article is focused on the analysis of the theory of space and time by the Japanese neoMarxist philosopher Tosaka Jun. Tosaka was one of the first in his country to act as a critic of Western philosophy, whilst also being a follower of one of its directions. The relevance of studying this cultural phenomenon lies in the possibility of supplementing knowledge about Asian philosophies in the context of the ongoing pivot to the East. The empirical basis of the research was a series of Tosaka’s essays written in 1920-30s focused on the problems of space and time, as well as his monograph “Japanese Ideology.” The main methods used in the article were the methods of comparative analysis, discourse analysis, and (based on the analysis of concepts and terms) the techniques of logical and semantic reconstruction of the system of ideas associated with a particular problem. The author sets the goal of investigating the content and features of the interpretation of space and time in Japanese thought of the 20th century using the example of Tosaka’s philosophy in the context of discussing the role of everydayness as an epistemological basis for philosophical teachings. In this regard, the task of identifying the original solutions and approaches of the Japanese thinker was realized, allowing us to consider his legacy a significant part of the historical and cultural process, as well as to understand the significance of his philosophical ideas in modern discussions. Another important task of the study was to determine the paths of transfer and transformation of ideas, in particular, the refraction and critical rethinking of Western concepts in the Japanese intellectual space. As a result, for the first time in scientific literature, a detailed reconstruction of the problems of space and time, based on the entire body of Tosaka’s works is presented. The conclusion is substantiated that by introducing a number of concepts (everyday space, historical time, character, configuration, relevance, etc.) and rejecting traditional Marxist ideas about the linearity of time and the value approach to history, the Japanese philosopher rethought the Marxist philosophy of history from the position of his theory of everyday life and common sense, creating an original model of unequal cycles formed from within the historical whole and possessing internal completeness, and, thus, presented history as a non-linear and uneven process that has not only a temporal but also a spatial dimension.

The Soul-Body Relation from the Perspective of the Wujūdiyyah Ṣūfī Metaphysics with a Special Focus on Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas’s Metaphysical Framework

This paper draws from the works of Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas to elaborate three aspects pertaining to the nature of the soul-body relation that can be taken as a genuine solution to the problem of their interaction. The methodology employed is philosophical analysis to elaborate such aspects as derived from the tradition of the Wujūdiyyah Ṣūfī metaphysicians, that is to say, the discussion on the soul’s ontological nature as nonexistence (ʿadam); the soul as a spiritual “subtlety” (al-laṭīfah al-rūḥāniyyah); and man as a new creation (muḥdath or khalqan ākhar). The first two provide the metaphysical and epistemological bases for the positing of man as a new creation consisting of both the spiritual aspect (insān) and the bodily aspect (bashar). Both supply a holistic understanding of the nature of man which includes not only his spiritual and the metaphysical aspect, but also his ethical and societal aspect. These are contrasted with similar discussions from the Western intellectual tradition such as the Cartesian dualism and the Hegelian conception of the Absolute Spirit.

Quasi-etnografisch (archief)onderzoek als empirisch-juridische methode

Quasi-ethnography as research method for Empirical Legal Studies By now, Empirical Legal Studies has established itself as a distinct academic field within Dutch universities, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative studies. Moving on from a debate purely about methods, this essay argues that more attention should be given to the epistemological and ontological beliefs that inform ELS research. Explicitly considering beliefs about what constitutes legitimate knowledge and how knowledge can be gained clarifies that methodologically empirical (legal) research can be based in distinct scientific paradigms. While ELS has developed mostly on the basis of an objectivist epistemology and a realist ontology, this essay demonstrates the significance of being inclusive of research informed by other understandings of knowledge and knowledge production. After briefly introducing such different scientific paradigms, the essay turns to a concrete example of empirical legal research that applies an interpretivist empirical method: quasi-ethnography.

Moderasi Beragama di Indonesia: Perspektif Filsafat Chuang Tzu

This article employs an expository-critical approach to Chuang Tzu‟s philosophical concept of equality of things and opinions. Its main purpose is to offer an alternative paradigm for religious moderation in Indonesia. The question that this article addressed is: “What is the relevance of Chuang Tzu‟s concept of the equality of objects and opinions for religious moderation in Indonesia?” This article finds that Chuang Tzu‟s philosophy provides an epistemological and metaphysical basis for religious moderation in Indonesia. Epistemologically, religions are the result of limited human contemplation, construction, and conception dealing with the Infinite Reality. Metaphysically, religions are equal because they originate from one and the same Infinite Reality. This epistemological-metaphysical frame guides different religions in Indonesia to maintain legal-formal commitments regarding the rights and freedoms of every citizen, accept differences and be flexible in religious insights, provide non-violent actions, and respect local wisdom. Finally, this article proposes that all problems that still hinder religious moderation in Indonesia can be solved through a humanist approach to radical religious groups, inter- and intra-religious dialogue, and dialogue between religion and local culture

Emphasizing “Integrationism” in Twenty-First Century Science: Another Useful Tool to Generate Better Scientific Paradigms Better Quality Science

The core objective of this paper is to emphasize the importance of “integrationism” as a core and a central method, and as a core philosophy of science, social sciences included, and one that can naturally and reliably be used to generate much better paradigms, better frameworks, and better concepts in science, and higher quality and higher order science as well. We also believe and propose that this technique become vital to scientific endeavour as a whole. In order to better perform the task of laying down the bare essentials of this paper, we review our earlier papers on scientific method of which there have indeed been many published over the last couple of years or so, including our much more recent paper on foundationalism. We also then go on to explain and elucidate why inductivism, including methodological inductivism and nomothetic approaches provide the epistemological basis for this paper, and stand us in very good stead. We also examine and explore other essential prerequisites of this approach including the need and necessity of dogma and ideology-free science, coherentism, reliabilism, internal and external validity, accuracy, rigour, precision, and also explain how this approach can be used to integrate and synthesize paradigms, frameworks, methods, and methodologies as well across a broad spectrum.

AVALIAÇÃO DE PROGRAMAS DE FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES: CRITÉRIOS E IMPACTOS

Considering the incessant and turbulent social changes that permeate today's society, teacher training stands out as a vital path for updating and improving the professionals responsible for teaching and educating. Thus, the objective of teacher training is not limited to the discourses and epistemological bases that support teacher preparation but expands to foster a deep reflection on educational practice and equip professionals with the essential skills to align the profile of the citizen we educate with emerging social demands. Therefore, it becomes imperative to evaluate the results of training programs and actions aimed at teachers, to uncover the consequences of these initiatives and, thus, verify the real effectiveness of training programs aimed at teachers. In this scenario, the importance of evaluating training programs explodes in relevance, revealing itself as a crucial element in the incessant search for educational quality. This document aims to highlight, in a vibrant way, the urgent need to evaluate evaluation levels, identify the appropriate moments for each evaluation modality, and determine the instruments for collecting information. The analysis of the agents involved in this evaluation process will be addressed with intensity, highlighting how these aspects interconnect to create a robust and impactful feedback cycle, aiming to reveal the magnitude of the importance of continuous evaluation in improving teacher training and adapting to constantly changing social dynamics.

The social impacts of circular economy: disclosing epistemological stances and methodological practices

AbstractThe essence of circular economy is about closing the loop of material flows by reducing, reusing, recovering and recycling, ensuring the economic prosperity without any detriment for the environment. However, few information is available about the contribution of circular systems to the social dimension of sustainability (such as well-being, quality of life), how these aspects are evaluated and why they are deemed as important. The purpose of this study is to review those scientific studies that dealt with the social sustainability evaluations of circular systems to highlight new aspects: not only which are the most applied methodologies, which impact categories and indicators are mostly taken into account, but, above all, which is the most diffused epistemological position underlying the evaluation of social aspects of circularity. This last aspect is often disregarded but of utmost importance because it shapes the approaches and procedures choice, and legitimate and justify the insights provided: indeed, they can be the most diverse when dealing with social sciences, which are multiparadigmatic sciences. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have so far emerged that directly investigate the epistemological basis of social impacts within the circular economy. A systematic and hermeneutic review of the scientific literature has been led through a two steps method. The first step, dedicated to search and acquisition, consisted in a standardized replicable process called Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). In a second phase, a hermeneutic review has been conducted on the selected publications. Among the 42 studies reviewed, 7 papers were framed within the post-positivism paradigms, while 83,3% were based on interpretivist paradigms, showing how it is difficult to find consensus on standardized quantification methods for social impacts in circular economy studies. The most recurring qualitative methods relied on personal interpretations, perceptions or observations.

A análise do Geodireito no espectro da Guerra da Ucrânia e os desafios prospectivo

This article aims to discuss the need to reformulate the GeoLaw, epistemological basis between Law and Geopolitcs, into the international relations based on the analysis of the Ukraine War and the risks of not using them for the effectiveness of the United Nations system. In this way, the conception of the United Nations and its bodies is approached, adopting the deductive method, through bibliographic and documentary research, to which it is verified the presence of possible legal responses that were not used by foreign policy makers around the globe, impacting the effectiveness of the system.

Landasan Filosofis Integrasi Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Agama

This article aims to examine and formulate a model for integrating religious knowledge with general science, focusing on the ontological, epistemological, and axiological foundations. In the context of modern secularism, which has led to the separation of religion and scientific knowledge, this research seeks to restore spiritual values within scientific inquiry and integrate the two disciplines to create knowledge that is not value-free. The research method used by the author is a qualitative approach with a type of library research with data collection methods by conducting documentation studies by examining primary and secondary sources in the form of books and scientific articles. The results of this study concluded that the integration of science is an effort to combine religious science and general science by incorporating religious values into it and looking for similarities between the two. Integration is done to make science not free of moral values and create good human beings who are in accordance with the two functions of human creation, namely as khalifah and good servants of Allah. The philosophical bases of science integration include ontological, epistemological and axiological bases. From the ontological basis, the relationship between the highest reality, namely God, and the lowest reality, namely creatures, has a close and inseparable relationship. Epistemologically, the source of general and religious knowledge comes from one source, namely God, who then provides means or tools of knowledge in the form of reason and the five senses, as a tool for obtaining knowledge and Islamic epistemology recognizes the means of knowledge in the form of intuition to achieve metaphysical-immaterial knowledge, where this method of intuition is in the form of inspiration and revelation. And axiologically, the integration of general science and religious science gives birth to science that is not value-free, so that it can make the development of science consistent with moral values in accordance with religion and the Qur'an, which gives birth to benefits in the world and the hereafter in the form of material, intellectual and spiritual enjoyment in humans who are a unity between body and spirit.

К вопросу об эпистемологии, сознании и интеллекте

This paper is devoted to issues of epistemology, which has recently acquired par­ticular relevance in the national philosophy. The role of cultural-historical episte­mology in the modern theory of knowledge is revealed, where the authors hold the idea that knowing the origin and development of knowledge itself, and its cultural conditioning in specific historical experiences contributes to a better un­derstanding of its significance and the scope of use. The authors present their vi­sion of the problem of transition from gnosiology to epistemology as from a strict prescribed methodology to the choice of one’s ways and methods of con­ducting science, where a significant role is given to such disciplines as computer science and logic. In this context, the relationship between consciousness and in­telligence with the theory of knowledge, in particular with cultural-historical epistemology, is also analyzed, since both the philosophy of consciousness and epistemology seek to understand the nature of knowledge and beliefs based on our conscious experience. This approach, considering the influence of social norms, values and cultural traditions on our cognition and thinking, stimulates the development of the theoretical basis of epistemology and its practical appli­cation. The authors conclude that modern research in the field of consciousness and artificial intelligence and their application in the methodology of epistemo­logy contribute not only to rethinking views on the nature of subjectivity but also to establishing the objectivity of our judgments. Ultimately, this leads to the inte­gration of collective and individual consciousness as an important factor in un­derstanding the world and forming scientific knowledge

Familiarity and otherness: evangelical practical theology as worship

ABSTRACT What characterises an evangelical approach to practical theology? As more evangelicals are engaging in practical theology, given the contested nature of evangelicalism, there is a pressing need to identify what might constitute an ecumenical and authentically evangelical approach. From a reflexive analysis of participation in corporate worship, it was found that through placing the body in worship, one assumes a set of axiological postures and orients oneself towards God as an epistemological basis for knowing. Through the framework of celebration, communication, and critique, this article specifies how a standpoint of worship encodes the central concerns of an evangelically oriented practical theology.

Cracking the Iron Ceiling: On Ethnography as Theory

There is no alternative to theory-driven ethnography. Some ethnographers may refuse to acknowledge the epistemological bases of their respective methodological approaches, but this amounts to unreflexive rather than atheoretical fieldwork. This essay elaborates three theses along these lines with the aim of sketching out a self-consciously theory-driven approach to ethnography. First, all ethnography is necessarily theoretical whether researchers acknowledge it or not. Without acknowledging this point, ethnography remains a fundamentally unreflexive enterprise. Second, extending upward toward ‘structure’ from empirics illuminates the conditions under which observations tend to hold true. Third, theoretical reconstruction, rather than confirmation or discovery, is the primary goal of ethnography. Drawing on the works of Michael Burawoy, Imre Lakatos, and others, these three theses motivate a defense of what we term ‘hard-core fieldwork’. We distinguish this approach from both grounded theory and more contemporary iterations of empiricism in sociological ethnography.

Kinésithérapie effectivement basée sur le placebo : comment les recherches de ces deux champs s’alimentent

Beginning by exploring the historical links between physiotherapy and placebo, we examine how placebo research can help physiotherapy. Focusing on three original contributions, we look at how placebo treatments work and how placebo effects might be used in clinics by modulating contextual factors. The first study demonstrates that open placebos are non-inferior to deceptive placebos. The second examines the acceptability of placebo treatments and the third how physiotherapists use placebo effects in their daily work by manipulating contextual factors. We close by examining at the importance of placebo research in the design of relevant control groups in rehabilitation research. Taken together, these results reflect on the epistemological basis for determining the efficacy of physiotherapy, and motivate the practice of ethical physiotherapy rooted in an in-depth understanding of placebo effects and contextual factors.

Towards a unified ontology of cybernetics: bridging mechanology and CAS for cooperative societies through thematic synthesis

PurposeThis paper aims to conceptually unite an ontology of cybernetics, bridging living and technical systems, to facilitate future epistemological and theoretical advancements applicable to highly technical societies by crafting a set of definitions that elucidate the nature of the world in which these systems operate.Design/methodology/approachThe research uses a thematic synthesis of two systems/cybernetic traditions: complex adaptive systems and mechanology. The primary sources for this research were the main theses and correlated papers published in the Simondon case for mechanology, and the seminal literature preselected by the Santa Fe Institute for complex adaptive systems.FindingsThe study proposes the following concepts: Individuation: the emergence of new properties in an individual composed of synergistically related parts; Technical evolution: the notion that technical objects evolve into living beings; circular causality: the notion that feedback and feedforward processes shape the organisation and structure of systems and their relationship with the environment; The milieu refers to the part of the environment that has a relationship of co-production, co-dependency, and co-evolution with systems. Metastability is a state that transcends stability and instability and motivates changes in the system. Transduction is the cumulative process of individuation in which systems change structure and organization to maintain operational coherence with their surroundings.Originality/valueThe concepts the paper identifies can serve as a starting point for an extended study on the ontology of cybernetics or as the basis for an evolutionary epistemology both in humans and machines.

Is evidence-based practice justified?-A philosophical critique.

Evidence-based practice is the principle governing a range of healthcare practices and beyond. However, it has suffered from a lack of philosophical rigour. This paper sets out to analyse the epistemological basis of evidence-based practice. The paper uses a conceptual analysis. First, it describes the implicit epistemology at work in evidence-based practice. Second, it evaluates the implicit epistemological basis. The analysis indicates that evidence-based practice lacks an explicit epistemological basis. It shows, moreover, that the implicit epistemological basis is untenable. There is a need to re-think the epistemological basis for evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice is out of touch with developments within philosophy of science.

Materialistic dialectics as an epistemological basis of a realistic approach to understanding and cognition of truth in various spheres of cognition, Including in criminal proceedings

In the article, using the methodology of system analysis, system-functional, system-structural and system-component aspects of the system approach, as well as the method of expert assessments of authoritative specialists professing a realistic approach to understanding and cognition of truth, materialistic dialectics is considered as a composite This part of the realistic theory of knowledge, the epistemological basis of a realistic approach to understanding and knowing the truth in various spheres of cognition, including in criminal proceedings. It is substantiated that one of the reasons for the unproductiveness of the endless discussion between supporters and opponents of the concept of objective truth in the Russian criminal process is that some modern participants in this discussion from both sides in their understanding of dialectical materialism as the epistemological basis of the realistic approach to understanding and knowing the truth stopped at the level of Soviet official philosophy, not taking into account that dialectical materialism is productively developing through philosophical comprehension within the framework of complex and systematic approaches of the achievements of various branches of the natural sciences and humanities covered by the concept of “cognitive sciences”, which contributes to a deeper understanding of the foundations, system-forming factors of the realistic approach to understanding and cognition of truth.

Rigor and objectivity as foundations of the rationality of physics in Evandro Agazzi

In current epistemology, there are two opposing attitudes towards the empirical sciences. Onthe one hand, they appear as an essential tool for the advancement of knowledge. On the otherhand, there is doubt about the metaphysical and epistemological bases of this confidence inscientific knowledge, which has led science down paths of skepticism and pragmatism. This paper aims to contribute philosophically to the rationality and ontological status of physics, taking as a starting point some works of the philosopher of science Evandro Agazzi. The article presented hereintroduces Agazzi’s thought and the core issues of his epistemology. It then defines the concepts of rigor and objectivity as understood by Agazzi, and finally establishes criteria of rigor and objectivity for physics, showing how they are verified in two classical experiments. Based on these ideas, it is shown that physics, as the science it is, has criteria of rigor and objectivity that allow it to effectively reach the real, thus responding to the formalist and pragmatist challenge. Thus, the article does notexhaust itself in a description of Agazzi’s thought, but will apply his ideas to the concrete field of physics, making explicit ideas that have not been sufficiently made explicit by the Italian philosopher.

The Problem of the Inauthenticity of Knowledge in Latin America

In Latin America, the production of scientific knowledge in the human sciences in general, and sociology in particular, has been characterized by a double concern. On the one hand, the arrival of ideas, concepts and theories from outside the continent continues to cause strangeness as to their relevance and suitability for a different social and economic context. On the other hand, as a way out of this nonconformity, there has been a search for a common epistemological basis about ourselves that would underpin and clarify this singularity. It is argued that an alternative to overcome this uncertainty lies in the Latin America’s condition of dependence, that is, in the specific way in which we are inserted into the world capitalist system, as a fundamental element in understanding or explaining recurring impasses and challenging novelties. In fact, it is about strengthening a fruitful tradition, which has provided us with great insights into countless objects of study.